American Handgunner Sep/Oct 2010 - Page 42

For some reason, yet unknown, some handguns print the double-ball loads vertically. FOR .45 COLT HANDGUNS Duke shown shooting the Colt .45 SAA with handload holding two balls. One shot equals a double tap! Is Duke shooting in his front yard? Yep, it’s one of the joys of living in the country in Montana! Mike “Duke”Venturino Photos:Yvonne Venturino This target shows the results of two shots with a .45 Colt SAA at 50' using doubleball handloads. Two or three holes with one shot! n these pages I’ve previously made it clear I am not the .45 Colt’s greatest fan. That said, there is one area where it shines above all other revolver cartridges. That is for “novelty” handloading such as shot loads or my newest brainstorm, “buck & ball” cartridges. That old term stems from smoothbore musket times when military paper cartridges often held three buckshot with one large round ball. The idea was the more projectiles put into the air with each shot the more likelihood one 42 might connect with an enemy soldier. So far, I haven’t figured out how to get three buckshot in a revolver cartridge along with a ball but I do have loads with three buckshot, or one buckshot and a ball, or two balls. They’re easy to make, although it helps to have a variety of reloading dies on your bench. They’re perfectly safe to shoot if you use common sense in their preparation. Two Balls? Let’s start first with double-ball loads. It may surprise some handgun shooters that ordinary round lead balls as sold for muzzleloaders can make fine revolver projectiles. And I figure them the same as I do donuts — if one is good then two is better. For .45 Colt they come ready made in sizes of .451", .454" and .457". Being pure lead all of those are usable for .45 Colt. Here is one factor absolutely necessary, whether you’re loading one round ball or two, they must be lubricated. Firing raw lead down a revolver barrel will foul it terribly. Again the solution is simple. Just buy a tube of Lee’s Liquid WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER2010